BMC- decided to run a vaccination centre nearby Dharavi

With the capacity to vaccinate 1,000 people per day, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has set up a vaccination center near Dharavi's slum pockets. A five-booth center for injecting comorbidities from Dharavi for senior citizens and those above 45 years of age has been set up at an urban health center known as “Chhota Zion Hospital”. 

As now, the nearest government run center for Dharavi residents is located in Bandra-Kurla-Complex Jumbo Facility. The immunization center will open on Monday.  The idea of  bring a vaccination center near Dharavi help residents to avoid a panic situation, ”said Kiran Dighavkar, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, G / North.  According to BMC data, out of 6.5 lakh residents of Dharavi, 1.7 lakh are senior citizens. Civic officials said the number of people getting vaccinated from slum pockets across the city was not desirable. 

Currently, vaccination polling is mainly limited to middle and high income earners.  Slum polling is low due to awareness, slum dwellers lacking time to stand in queues and vaccine lapses in some pockets.  With a vaccination center near slum pockets, the civic organization aims to increase the number of people willing to register for jobs.  Many from the slums cited the issue of spending more hours at vaccination centers leading to wage losses, which is the main reason for not going for vaccinations. 

Others have raised the complaint about the application-based registration process,”said a civil servant. Dharavi reported fresh 29 corona virus cases on Friday.  On Thursday, the number of new cases was 30, the highest daily spike since September.  The number of daily cases after September is less than 30, with no new cases in December.  The total number of active cases in the slum-dominated area is 72. From Monday, vaccination awareness in slums will begin in collaboration with an NGO, BMC. 

"We are planning to start an awareness program in Dharavi and extend it to all slum pockets in the city," said Jitendra Sahukar of the Pune-based Bharatiya Jaina Sangathan (BJS).Prior to assisting the government in running the vaccination centers effectively, BMC had worked with BJS, a civic body, with the Thane Municipal Corporation, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation and the Pune Municipal Corporation, which had been working on contact tracking for BMC.   

It will also follow up with the post-vaccination beneficiaries.  BJS plans to target the slum population, conduct mass campaigns and advise people to eliminate the fear of vaccination.  Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said the NGO Pro Bono would work for the vaccination drive. There are currently 91 covid vaccination centers in Mumbai.  Of these, 24 are run by BMC, eight by the state and the center and 59 by private hospitals.  On Friday, BMC added another center at the Ramabai Thackeray Maternity Home in Ghatkopar.  

The Civil Body is waiting for the Central government approval to include 29 more private hospitals as Covid Vaccination Centers.  Municipal Commissioner IS Chahal said the civic body was following suit with the permission of the central government.  BMC has decided to conduct evening shifts at its own injection centers.  The time was changed from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.  Private hospitals were also advised to change the schedules.  In view of the daily increase in cases in Mumbai, Chahal met four additional Municipal Commissioners, Joint and Deputy Municipal Commissioners, Assistant Municipal Commissioners, Superintendents and Hospital Heads.  He instructed officials to ensure that 45 lakh people, including 1,000 per day in private hospitals, are vaccinated within 45 days.